The Kiss
by QuirkyChameleon
Summary: Ron and Hermione, in the Chamber of Secrets, soaking wet. My take on the most anticipated kiss in history.


As they prepared to enter the Chamber of Secrets, Ron remembered that Hermione had never been there before. She had not accompanied them on that particular adventure, having been petrified at the time.

"Now I'll go first," Ron told her. "Mind you, it gets rather nasty down there…but don't be afraid. Nothing down there can hurt us anymore."

Hermione smiled. "I'm not afraid. I'm with you."

Ron beamed at her, then he slid himself quietly into the tunnel. He heard Hermione follow and give a cry of disgust at how much grime was still in the tunnel.

Ron landed first and Hermione landed heavily on top of him so that she was lying on his chest.

"Oh," said Hermione, going bright red and trying to lift herself up off of Ron. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," said Ron, his voice oddly quiet.

He was looking at her very tenderly. She met his eyes and gave an uncertain smile as he patted her arm.

Hermione got up, still blushing. Ron helped her up, also red in the face.

Together they stared into the ugly abyss that was the chamber. Little skeletons lay everywhere, and Ron noticed that even after five years of being uninhabited it still bore the resemblance to the cave of a hungry, bad-tempered creature.

Hermione's face was a mask of horror. She hadn't any previous idea what the basilisk had looked like or what it was capable of, but she had a pretty good idea of the creature's ferocity judging by this.

Ron suddenly felt a burst of courage as he gazed at Hermione.

He realized that if he was to die, this might be his last chance to be with her, or touch her, or gaze upon her as he had for so many years. She was not looking at him, but gazing around, her eyes wide.

Ron gently slid his hand in hers, feeling some nervousness but ignoring it. Hermione looked down at their joined hands and looked up at Ron, who felt his ears burning.

But Hermione was smiling as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and they continued to walk forward.

They came to the snakeskin and Hermione gave a little gasp. Ron clasped her hand, murmuring "It's okay…just don't look at it…"

The remaining debris of the rockslide consisted of only a few less rocks but enough for one to see it as a considerable obstacle. Ron moved rocks aside and kept a firm hold on Hermione's hand so he could make sure she got through safely.

Ron muttered encouragement and caution as Hermione tentatively climbed through, clutching his hand.

"Take it easy…mind your head…it's all right, I've got you…"

Once through the rocks, they came to the snake-door, and it was here that Ron's surroundings now became unfamiliar. But he was not afraid. He'd heard the correct way to command entrance.

He spoke perfect Parseltongue as he hissed _"Open."_

A metal snake slithered around the door, causing the other metal snakes to curl and thus undo the lock.

"Harry talks in his sleep," Ron said to Hermione, feeling rather pleased that he had been able to show off for her in this way. "Haven't you noticed?"

"No, of course not," said Hermione, looking slightly impressed and taken aback at the same time. Why would Ron think that she watched Harry while he was sleeping? For that matter, why would he think she watched him that closely at all? Surely, Ron knew that Harry was not the one she was interested in...

Once in the Chamber, Ron went to the skeleton of the Basilisk. He plucked a fang out of the jaw and it made a rather sickening sucking sound.

Ron approached Hermione as she took the cup out of her bag.

"You do it," he said, holding up the fang.

Hermione looked at him, shock and fear visible in her brown eyes. "I can't."

"Yes you can," Ron said. He gently took the cup from her and gave her the fang.

Hermione watched Ron as he knelt in front of her, his eyes never leaving her as he put the cup on the stone floor. She knelt onto the floor in front of him, her eyes glued to the cup. She was trembling with fright as she realized that the destruction of something so dangerous was up to her. Thoughts raced through her mind as she thought of Ron, and how the locket had had such a terrible effect on him. So much so that he had left her. Hermione was frightened of such power, because she could never allow herself to hurt Ron the way he had hurt her.

But as she looked up at Ron for some kind of strength, she was entranced by the intensity of his gaze. He held so much belief in her that she could do it, that she was meant to. There was such conviction and certainty in Ron's eyes that Hermione lost all reason to argue any further.

She slowly lifted the fang to stab the cup and she felt that it sensed its coming death, which secretly frightened her even more. But with Ron's gaze burning in her heart, she brought the fang down on the cup and a number of things happened at once.

The cup skittered away, spewing water and whatever else, and all of a sudden a huge wave of water rose over them.

Ron seized Hermione's hand and they both began moving backwards, away from the water.

But it was too big.

"Look out!" Ron yelled, and the water crashed over them, drenching them both.

After roaring in their ears for a few minutes, the water subsided.

They both stood there, dripping and gasping. They looked around for a few moments before their eyes found each other.

Ron was suddenly seized by a strong burst of love for the woman that stood before him and he found he was moving toward her. Hermione gazed into his blue eyes, the ones she so loved, and she found she could not look away as they drew closer to each other.

Then they went toward each other and their lips met.

It began slow and almost cautious, both Ron and Hermione fully aware that this was an entirely new venture they hadn't dared attempt. But as Ron kissed her lovingly and one of his hands came up to rest on the back of her neck, his thumb stroking her cheek, Hermione found herself knowing exactly what to do. It was as if they were doing a dance that they knew fully and had done many times, despite the fact that it was their first kiss. And had Hermione envisioned Ron's and her first kiss to be in the Chamber of Secrets while they were dripping wet? No, but it mattered not. This was completely perfect.

They pulled apart only to gaze at each other. Hermione thought she could have melted into tears with the way Ron was looking at her; his blue eyes seemed to burn once more with intensity, except now there was love too. But then there had always been love.

Ron smiled; his heart was swelling with love for the woman that he held in his arms. With one hand he gently tucked a small strand of dripping hair behind her ear. She shivered at his touch, her eyes staring intensely into his. There was such love there, and such passion for this man she called her friend and who she would call her husband in a few years time.

It all made sense to Ron now; they had never done this before because when they touched each other, and truly loved each other with no limits, they felt things. Things that scared them. Things that were far greater than either of them could grasp. But that didn't matter anymore. Ron wanted to touch her, and hold her, and protect her through this war so he could have a future with her, marry her, have children with her. He loved her.

Hermione gently reached up and put a hand on Ron's face. Oh, how she loved this goofy, sweet, beautiful idiot, who told her she could when she believed she could not. How long she had been waiting for this moment. How much she had longed to kiss him.

Now she had, and for a small space in time everything was perfect.

They simply gazed into each other's eyes, and Ron gently leaned his forehead on Hermione's. She was about to lovingly kiss his cheek or his jaw or whatever she wanted to kiss first, but suddenly there came a deadly hiss from the end of the Chamber.

They both looked around, still in each other's arms, and saw Nagini the snake slithering toward them.

Ron seized Hermione's hand, a feeling which was now becoming familiar to the both of them, and they began to run, hand in hand, away from danger because they had crossed that threshold together. They had been together, always, and now they had reached a new height.

They now realized that each would stay with the other for the remainder of the war, because now that they were joined souls, they would either die together or survive together.


End file.
